Far-right activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot dead
The founder of the Turning Point USA platform was speaking at an event at a university
WashingtonHeinfluencer Far-right activist Charlie Kirk died Wednesday after being shot, Donald Trump confirmed to Truth Social. "The greatest and legendary Charlie Kirk is dead. No one understood the heart of American youth like he did," the US president wrote shortly after it was revealed that the activist had been shot in the neck during an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk was a leading figure among Trump's younger followers, which had made him a close ally of the president. During the last election, he played a key role in spreading the theories of electoral fraud through its platform Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
Kirk's death will likely have a similar effect to the attack on Trump in Butler. It could become a new political unifier amid divisions within the Trumpist base due to the developments in the Epstein case and a new catalyst for hate speech against Democrats and the left in general. In fact, the Trump bubble in X is already accusing the left. Elon Musk has republished a post noting that "left-wing media, as well as figures like Gavin Newsom who claims that Trump plans to be a dictator, have created a climate of hysteria against the right." The US president has ordered the flag to be flown at half-mast in mourning until after 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Videos circulating on social media show Kirk being shot while speaking in a tent set up in the university's courtyard. Just as he was shot, the activist was responding to a question about mass shootings.influencer MAGA was participating as a speaker at the The American Comeback Tour, organized by TPUSA. Although police initially arrested a suspect, it was later reported that he was not the perpetrator. Officers are still searching for the shooter.
University spokeswoman Ellen Treanor said Kirk was shot about 20 minutes after he began speaking. Treanor said the shooter fired from the Losee Center building, which is about 200 yards from where the activist was sitting. Kirk was taken away by security after the incident. A Turning Point USA spokesman, Andrew Kolvet, confirmed the incident to the AP. New York Times that the shot wounded Kirk in the neck.
Kirk, 31, has more than five million followers on X and is a well-known face within the Trumpist base, especially among young people. As her influence among the MAGA base grew, Kirk rose in Trump's orbit, to the point that the president participated in events organized by her Turning Point Action platform. The far-right activist founded it in 2012 with William Montgomery, another activist from the ultra-conservative Tea Party movement, with the aim of promoting conservative ideology among university students.
At first, TPUSA's events were more focused on defending tax cuts and limiting state power, but with the emergence of Trump and the metamorphosis of the Republican Party, Kirk joined the new wave of the far right and the MAGA ranks. Since founding TPUSA, Kirk has toured the country's university campuses, organizing talks like the one this Wednesday in Utah.
Kirk's murder is the latest episode of political violence in the United States. Last June, two Democratic state legislators from Minnesota and their partners were also victims of an attack. Melissa Hortman and her husband died. while John Hoffman and his wife were seriously injured.
